Well well well! Only three days to go and I feel like a steamroller has literally passed over my body…and more than one time! Anyway, it’s fine by me, I’m going to survive all the pre-departure preparation, all the stress, all the excitement, take my plane (by the way I have a plane phobia so If you heard about somebody turning a plane upside-down -not literally of course- because she is scared, that would be me) and have a great journey. I’m so eager to meet new people, to discover the US, to learn some new things! But one thing saddens me so…what about my Senegalese fellows who will not be there with me?
Because let me tell you something, Senegalese Fellows are a tight team, a fierce one and most of all, a bright and fun one. Luckily, I will have the one and only El Hadji Mamadou Diongue with me in Miami. He doesn’t know it yet, but he will be my sidekick, we will be like Batman and Robin. Of course, I will not be Batman. What kind of crazy dude thinks that he is a bat? Have you ever seen a bat? Those things are ugly and scary as hell…Huh huh, I won’t have it, I prefer to be a male character than a bat. So Robin it is!
Back to the subject…I don’t know how it happened because on a human history scale, we only know each other since yesterday. But the time I get to know each of them was precious and I’m sure that every single person on this team is going to be a game changer. Look at us, do you feel that energy!
Now that you have seen this picture, I can make my transition about the topic of this article! Did you see how Barcelona won the Champions League…I feel bad for the Juvies (Koba and Sonko don’t cry…luckily, we had some tissues for them), it was almost painful to see that…Nah…I’m joking, I don’t feel bad at all.
Well I know, I’m like a diesel car, it takes time to start but when it’s done, it’s like a hurricane. Actually, the real subject is that Team Senegal was invited last week-end by Minaj a.k.a Vicky Victorine at her place.
1) For an informal meet-up
You see that…We were laughing, drinking. Our rap artist, Papa Aly Gueye was entertaining us, specially Minaj.
2) To watch the Champion’s League finale
Yeah Yeah! Team Barça…
3) To take pictures of us as we are so photogenic
4) To meet fellows from last year and and 5) To have a good time drinking and eating some good Senegalese appetizers.
So the meet-up…Everybody was not able to come, and those who did not come were really missed. Thanks to Selly Raby Kane, one of our stylist and stylish member, a professional photographer was with us to grasp the energy and it was amazing. We laugh, we smiled, we run, we jumped, we acted like we were stars but…seriously, have you ever seen a bunch of crazy people goofing around in the streets of Dakar followed by a photographer…Let me tell you that instead of stars, we were more perceived by the people in the streets like animals in a zoo.
But we did not care and that’s what’s good with our team! See that!
After the photo-shoot, we gathered around in Minaj’s house and it was really nice. Personally, I had the chance to talk with Koba, a 2014 Mandela Fellow, and it was great to have some useful piece of advice before leaving. As others 2014 Fellows were also there, everybody had the chance to talk about their journey and about ours to come. So this was interesting at different levels, we learned that the program will squeeze the very last drop out of us. Now that I am writing that, I reconsidering what I said about those bats…Maybe we should all be bats to be able to drink the very last drop of the program instead of the other way around. We also learned that we need to be careful with everything we do and say during the program, attitude is everything…And as we were already told by the Embassy, we have a responsibility to represent our country the best way we can.
That was the serious part, but you know how parties are like, there is always a hidden side…The light and fun one, GOSSIPING…We actually learned that they were YALI weddings and YALI babies…Do you believe that? It’s great but I need to make a statement right now. NEPOTISM is not good, so those beautiful babies should not be Mandela Fellows by birth. If one day they want to follow the steps of their parents, they will have to suffer like us.
Well I think that’s all, the pictures will speak for themselves…but I must tell you one last thing, Minaj told me that after I left the party, a few people stayed till 3 a.m.! Don’t ask me what happened over there, I was not there. I guess that what happens in Minaj’s house stays in Minaj’s house :)
Sadly, Aissatou Sene the fourth Musketeer was not there and Minaj, Selly and I missed her. We will take a picture of the four of us very soon!
That did not stop us to feel like stars! Not to worry, It passed as soon as the reality hits us again!
AND NOW…to end with a firework….Drum rolls everybody. I present you the dream team:
From left to right: Maguette Niang a.k.a The Health-carer, Poppa Ali Gueye a.k.a. Packo Pat Ghetto, Aboubacar Sidy Sonko a.k.a the IT Boss. At the bottom right we have Abdou Diaw a.k.a. Mr. Investment. On the second line, we have at the bottom left, the great Koba (2014 Mandela Fellow) a.k.a The Teacher, Ndeye Awa Guèye (2014 Mandela Fellow) a.k.a. Jjiguène Tech Girl, Me a.k.a. The Puppet Master (sorry guys, I was named like that after this picture but I am no Master and you are no Puppets), Karamoko Badiane a.k.a. The African Optimist, Victorine Sarr a.k.a. Minaj The Networking Gal, Selly Raby Kane a.k.a. The Stylish Girl, Boussoura Talla a.k.a The Electronic Cleanser and last but not least, El Hadji Mamadou Diongue a.k.a. Batman!
N.B.: two people on this pic are not MF but they are supporting us so, big up to CorneilleTowendo (on the front) who’s an IT entrepreneur and Jean-Jacques Kokuvi (the tall mixed guy behind) who’s also a marketing entrepreneur.
Elsa Dansokho
Mandela Washington Fellow 2015
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